Chapter 16: So That’s How It Is
“Mr. Jiang, does it hurt a lot? Hang in there—the ambulance will be here very soon.” Seeing the sudden tears welling up in Jiang Yu’s eyes, Aunt Chen wiped them for him with a pained expression and comforted him gently.
When people are sad, the more they’re comforted, the harder they cry.
Feeling Aunt Chen’s concern, Jiang Yu stopped holding back. He cried with his mouth open, tears and snot smeared all over his face.
“Is it really that painful?” Jiang Yu was crying so unrestrainedly that even the security guard was dumbfounded.
The ambulance did arrive quickly. Jiang Yu was lifted onto it, but after reaching the hospital and just being wheeled down, he was pushed right back into the vehicle.
“Where are we going?” Jiang Yu was in terrible pain and eager for treatment. The jostling of the ambulance made his waist feel like it was about to snap.
“It was Mr. Han’s instruction. We’re going to the Third Hospital. This one is just a community hospital—the medical level isn’t good enough. You’ve always been treated at Third Hospital; Dr. Zhang knows your condition best,” Aunt Chen explained.
Han Cheng again. Hearing that name made the anger in Jiang Yu’s chest flare up instantly. “My waist is about to break, and he’s still tossing me around. Does he think I haven’t suffered enough and is deliberately dragging things out? That bastard, son of a bitch, dirty old pervert—”
“Alright, alright, endure it for a bit—we’re almost there,” Aunt Chen said, covering Jiang Yu’s mouth. You really couldn’t let him curse the boss.
At the entrance of Third Hospital, Jiang Yu received a “warm welcome.” A crowd surrounded him, hustling him into the hospital in a flurry. When Dr. Zhang heard Aunt Chen explain the situation, he immediately grew tense.
Once again, a group of people bustled around Jiang Yu, taking scans and running tests. Jiang Yu only had to lie there and didn’t need to worry about anything.
In the end, he was wheeled into a ward. The same young nurse from last time came to set up his IV. From the moment she entered the room, she kept hesitating, her small face twisted in conflict, like she was constipated.
After finishing the IV, the nurse packed up slowly. Jiang Yu forced a strained smile and said, “If you want to ask, just ask.”
The nurse looked at Jiang Yu and finally couldn’t hold it in anymore. “Idol, what’s really going on between you and Meng Yi? Did you really… bully Meng Yi?”
“Why would you think that? You know I have a waist injury.”
“But didn’t you already recover and get discharged? Why does your waist still hurt?”
Her eyes were full of suspicion. Jiang Yu gave a weak smile. Right—why did his waist still hurt? Wasn’t it because some bastard started tormenting him again the moment he left the hospital?
If even someone who knew him believed he had bullied Meng Yi, how much more so strangers.
Jiang Yu couldn’t be bothered to explain anymore. He smiled at the nurse and said, “Don’t overthink it. I didn’t bully Meng Yi. Go get busy—I want to rest for a while.”
“Oh.” The nurse pouted and left, still doubtful.
Jiang Yu had just closed his eyes when the ward door was pushed open again. Aunt Chen and Han Cheng rushed in.
Han Cheng was breathing slightly hard, looking as though he were very concerned. He lifted the blanket and glanced at Jiang Yu’s waist, asking, “How is it? What did the doctor say?”
Jiang Yu looked at Han Cheng with a gentle smile, his eyes soft and understanding. “The examinations just finished. We don’t know the results yet—don’t worry.”
Jiang Yu had experienced the consequences of angering Han Cheng once before. Although on the way here he had already cursed Han Cheng’s ancestors eighteen generations back, in front of Han Cheng he was still the same obedient, well-behaved lover who neither argued nor made a fuss.
“I’ll go see if the results are out yet,” Aunt Chen said tactfully, making her exit.
“How could I not worry?” Han Cheng held Jiang Yu’s hand and looked at him with deep affection. “Don’t worry—I’ve already had people check the surveillance footage. We’ll definitely catch the people who hurt you. Once we catch them, how do you want to punish them?”
“They kicked me twice. If they’re caught, can we break one leg each? I heard they were just kids—better leave them one good leg, otherwise they’ll be ruined for life.” Jiang Yu spoke gently, saying something cruel.
Misunderstood, cyber-bullied, ambushed—he had a bellyful of anger pent up. So what if they were kids? If you did something wrong, you still had to pay the price.
Han Cheng silently studied Jiang Yu for a while, his pitch-black eyes staring so intently that Jiang Yu’s scalp tingled.
Jiang Yu awkwardly forced an ugly smile and asked, “What’s wrong? Is my request too excessive?”
Han Cheng smiled faintly. “No, it’s not excessive. I thought you wouldn’t get angry. You’ve been cyber-bullied for two days and I didn’t see you ask the company to do any PR.”
When Han Cheng suddenly brought up the events of the past two days, the anger in Jiang Yu’s chest flared up again.
Ask the company for PR? Shouldn’t this be something the company took the initiative to handle for him? The company’s complete inaction—wasn’t that at this bastard’s instruction?
With a twisted smile, Jiang Yu replied obediently, “I clarified it.”
“But your clarification didn’t work,” Han Cheng said, poking right where it hurt.
The smile at the corner of Jiang Yu’s mouth was about to collapse. It twitched a few times as he said, “I also find it strange—why didn’t Meng Yi and Sister Bai speak up for me? Could it be that someone told them not to help me?”
Jiang Yu looked straight at Han Cheng, the implication obvious.
Han Cheng caught the hint in Jiang Yu’s words. His brows lifted slightly, as if surprised.
Smiling, Han Cheng shook his head. “Meng Yi and Bai Ling are currently doing trial shoots with Wang Hao’s crew. For confidentiality, all communication devices were confiscated. They won’t be out until three days later. No one told them not to help you—this is purely a coincidence.”
“A trial shoot?” Jiang Yu was surprised at first, then suddenly understood. No wonder Meng Yi and Sister Bai couldn’t be reached. Who would have thought that in the twenty-first century, filming a drama would still involve confiscating communication devices—like guarding against spies?
His luck really was awful. In six years since his debut, he’d never been cyber-bullied before. The one and only time it happened, it coincided with a trial shoot.
“If they can’t help you, couldn’t you have asked someone else for help?” Han Cheng asked, guiding him step by step.
“Why are they still doing trial shoots? Haven’t they finalized the cast yet?” Jiang Yu pretended not to hear him and changed the subject.
A trial shoot is when a film or TV production gathers the selected actors and films a few scenes to see whether they fit their roles.
Trial shoots are often time-consuming, labor-intensive, and expensive. These days, few directors bother with them anymore, and actors aren’t keen either. If you get cut after a trial shoot, it’s embarrassing and hurts both your reputation and popularity.
If it weren’t Wang Hao, probably no one would indulge a director in doing trial shoots.
Han Cheng gave Jiang Yu a meaningful look and smiled as he explained, “Wang Hao went into seclusion for three years and wants to make a blockbuster. Being strict isn’t a bad thing. I’ve been waiting for your call—why didn’t you come to me?”
Han Cheng fixed his gaze on Jiang Yu, dragging the topic back again.
“It’s Meng Yi’s first time acting. Will he pass the trial shoot? What if he gets cut—”
“Jiang Yu, stop changing the subject.” Han Cheng cut him off, gripping Jiang Yu’s chin and forcing him to meet his eyes. “You’ve been with me for so long—why didn’t you ask me for help? What exactly are you kicking up a fuss about?”
Jiang Yu looked at Han Cheng and saw a trace of irritation and embarrassment in his eyes.
Jiang Yu was confused. He clearly had called Han Cheng—wasn’t it this bastard who hadn’t answered? Not answering meant he didn’t want to help, right? And now he was questioning him about “making a fuss.” Was this bastard out of his mind?
Or was it that Ji Xu never told Han Cheng about the call at all?!
The key suddenly clicked in Jiang Yu’s mind. He stared at Han Cheng and said, “I called you yesterday, but Ji Xu picked up. You were in the shower. He said he’d pass the message on to you.”
As soon as Jiang Yu finished speaking, he saw shock spread across Han Cheng’s face.
That confirmed it—it really was Ji Xu, that white moonlight radiating black light, pulling strings behind the scenes.
